7/29/2019 Everything You Need to Know About Ice Hockey

1/1

Everything You Need To Know About Ice Hockey

Ice hockey is a game played on ice by two competing teams of skaters whose goal is to shoot their pucks

through their opponents net through the use of a wooden stick. It is simply termed as Hockey in mostregions, although the term is also used to define field hockey and pond hockey.

The game is played by two teams. The teams consist of six players with five skaters (forward and defense)and a goalie. The goal of the team would be to push the puck to the net, which is guarded by the opposing

teams goaltender. When the puck passes through the net, the team gets a score.

Ice Hockey is popular in the United States, in Canada, and in Europe where the temperature is enough tocreate a natural ice cover. As the sport progresses in popularity, more and more cities have set-up indoor

artificial ice rinks. The sport is considered as the national winter sport in Canada while in other countries, it

remains as one of the most popular recreational games.

History

The game of ice hockey can be traced back to games such as golf, which was popular during the Middle

Ages. During this time, people from the Dutch regions such as the Netherlands and Belgium would use

wooden curved bats and leather balls. The goal of the game would be to hit the two opposing poles or

landmarks. Whoever hits the poles with the least number of strokes wins. In Iceland, the game was alsoplayed by the Vikings during the early ages.

The first game of hockey is believed to have been played in Canada during the 19th century. The playerswould use ice skates, puck and sticks during the icy seasons. It was believed that these people are Canadian

immigrants and British soldiers. Another part of hockey history says that the game was actually introducedby Icelandic immigrants who later moved to Canada after the 1875 volcanic eruption. Other similar gameswould be the Irish hurling and the Scottish Shinty which is more similar to field hockey.

Origin of Ice Hockey Terms

The name ice hockey was first heard in the modern times from William Pierre Le Cocq. However, it was

King Edward III of England who actually first used the name in 1363. In his letter, he proclaimed hockey as

a forbidden game along with football, cock-fighting, and handball among others. Modern researcherscontextualized the name hockey as a derivation from the word hook or the part that curves at the end of the

wooden stick. The word puck, on the other hand, is a derivation of the Scottish word puc or the Irish poc

which can be translated to something that is delivered with a blow, or something that is poked.

Equipment

Ice hockey is played with the use of different equipment other than the stick and the puck. Since it is a full-

contact sport, players are mandated to wear protective equipment in order to prevent major injuries. Players

are required to wear a helmet or a helmet cage, shoulder and elbow pads, protective gloves, padded hockeypants, mouth guard, athletic jock cup (for males) or jill cup (for females), skates, shin pads, and a neck

protector. Goal tenders are required to use a different set of protective equipment which includes chest and

arm protector, a neck guard, leg pads, blocker and a catch glove.

In addition, a hockey player has to wear skates, which can be optimized to ensure higher skating speed. The

skates should have optimum maneuverability, which will allow the player to skate, start, stop, turn and

change directions easily. The skate should be strong and durable in order to protect the feet of the user. Theplayer can also change other aspects of the skates, especially on the blade specifications.

The wooden or composite stick is an important equipment in hockey as well. The stick should be long with awide and curved flat blade. The curve can greatly affect the performance of the stick. Sticks with deep curve

help make the puck easier to lift while a stick with a shallow curve provides good backhand maneuver. The

puck is the disk made from vulcanized rubber which the players will need to push around and hit on theopponents side to make a score.

How the Game is Played

Ice hockey is a game played on a rink. The rules vary according to the league, but the game play is pretty

much the same all throughout. The game is divided into two sides with six players on each side. The

objective of each team would be to score a goal by shooting the puck into the net of the opponents goal. Thetarget goal is placed on both ends of the rink.

Players of each team are divided according to roles. There are three forwards, two defensemen and a goalie.The forward position has a left winger, a right winger and a center. The three forwards play together within

the same unit or line. The two defensemen play as a pair, positioned at left and right. The unit can be

substituted entirely through a line change and this can take place at any point in the game.

During the game, the players will control the direction of the puck with the use of their stick. The players

have the option to use their body to change the position of the puck. However, the players cannot use their

hands in moving or passing the puck to their teammates or in shooting to the goal.

The players are also not allowed to kick the puck into the goal to make a score. Forwards and backward

passes are allowed since ice hockey is an offside game. Players can bodycheck their opponents in order tostop the other player from making a score. This is done through the surrounding boards in the ice rink and

the boards can also be used to play the puck.

Ice hockey is controlled by two to four officials. Two of these officials act as the linesmen. The linesmen are

responsible for calling out the violations as well as maintain the peace during fights. The linesmen will also

conduct the faceoff if in case such events occur. The referees on the other hand will call the scores when a

goal is made. It is also the task of the referee to call out other penalties which are not handled by thelinesmen.

Visithttp://www.ryrhockeywear.com for the best custom hockey gear!

http://www.ryrhockeywear.com/http://www.ryrhockeywear.com/http://www.ryrhockeywear.com/http://www.ryrhockeywear.com/http://www.ryrhockeywear.com/http://www.ryrhockeywear.com/http://www.ryrhockeywear.com/